Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool's failure to properly plan for the team's midfield revitalization has come back to haunt them Photo: Reuters/Phil Noble
Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp has created a level of confidence in transfers that all of Europe could envy.
That trust is gone with the news that they won't go after Jude Bellingham this summer. He needs to be played in the next transfer window because Klopp, his recruiting team and owners Fenway Sports Group have been given a free pass for their terrible performances of the past eight months, especially away from home.
Ever since Klopp moved to Liverpool, there has been patience because of quality. Apart from a mid-season slump during the lockdown, the club has been on an upward trajectory so far. When a Liverpool manager wins what Klopp has, he becomes a god and it will take more than one bad year to change that.
There was also confidence because Liverpool have a history of waiting for the players they really want, rather than haphazardly working through alternatives. When they failed to sign Aurélien Chouameni from Monaco in 2022, they chose not to use the £70m he would have paid to buy another midfielder. They indicated they wanted the right player, not just any player. Everything pointed to Bellingham's expectation.
The dream of the next Steven Gerrard being linked to Anfield has been sold to fans. While no one at Liverpool has ever publicly acknowledged the plan, no one tried to dissuade anyone from such a view, especially when Klopp enthusiastically praised the Borussia Dortmund teenager after the World Cup.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard (right) praised Jude Bellingham (left) after England's March match against Ukraine. Photo: Shutterstock/Javier Garcia. for Virgil van Dijk, class goalkeeper Alisson Becker and a full season for Naby Keita. Van Dijk and Alisson changed the game and helped Liverpool win the Champions League and the Premier League.
Now Liverpool have made it clear they cannot afford Bellingham after all. Naturally, there is anger and frustration from those who feel bewildered and bewildered.
The annoyance that many Liverpool fans and I felt when Bellingham's revelations came out Tuesday night has to do with the realization that the entire season was written off on the false pretense that the money was needed to make a big star player. was with van Dyck while adding the extra reinforcements needed to get going again. How can a club suddenly drop a valuation in excess of £100m? They know it's the current best-in-class bet.
What really pisses me off is the red herring that Liverpool have come to the conclusion that Bellingham are too expensive on the grounds that Klopp's reinstatement turned out to be larger than originally thought. The club knows that the elephant in the room cannot sign a ready central midfielder last summer.
What seemed like a terrible mistake turned into a monumental shenanigan that cost the club millions in Champions League revenue, which they would lose if they didn't finish in the top four, and brought the team back to where it was shortly before Klopp's appointment.
Jude Bellingham (left) could be a longtime successor to England teammate Jordan Henderson (right) at Liverpool (Photo: Getty Images)/Alex Pantling
At the end of last season, Liverpool always needed three midfielders within 12 months — preferably at least one in 2022 and two more in 2023. Some argue they should have signed the midfielder earlier in the summer of 2021. that's harsh considering how close Liverpool came to winning every major trophy in 2022. But during the last season it was necessary to prepare everything necessary for the renovation of the midfield.
The contract situations and age profiles of the senior players made this clear. Jordan Henderson was a fantastic servant, but at 32 there was always the possibility that the burdens of the last years would take their toll. The same can be said about Fabinho, who will soon turn 30 years old. Thiago Alcantara is a great player, but he gets injured a lot. James Milner, now 37, ended his contract last summer but signed on for one more season. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita are in their last year of contracts after a failed career at Liverpool.
This makes the idea that the club suddenly realized they need three midfielders rather than one misleading. If Chuameni had chosen Liverpool over Real Madrid a year ago, Klopp would still have had to replace Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keith and Milner this summer.
This is his biggest mistake on the matter, and he knows it, a last-minute scramble for Arthur Melo on the last day of the transfer window last August is a big sell-out that he realized his mistake by not hiring until last. preseason. This deal was a disgraceful descent and a waste of money. The justification for doing so at the time was that Liverpool were biding their time on their long-term goal.
The situation should never have reached a stage where pursuing Bellingham would have jeopardized Klopp's ability to make three or four more signings, which he needs to revive the starting XI.
What should have been a natural development in the midfield has now turned into a complete overhaul because maintaining dynamism in the center was not given the same attention as attacking.
Fans would have resigned themselves to not signing Gakpo for Bellingham's landing
Liverpool have spent more than £200m on strikers and have signed Mohamed Salah a major new deal as they last bought a first-choice central midfielder. These deals were needed as Roberto Firmino was in decline and 30-year-old Sadio Mane made good money.
Then in January Cody Gakpo signed for £40m even though the team were demanding more energy in midfield. Gakpo started promisingly. I like him. But now it's even more confusing that priority has been given to another striker. Most fans would readily agree that Gakpo's expenses were withheld to turn Bellingham's £90m offer into a £130m signing.
This is the first time I openly question Liverpool's transfer policy in the Klopp era. .
I understand that Liverpool cannot spend like Manchester City and they are not and never should be like Chelsea who seem to be signing high-ranking, mega-expensive players on a whim, having no idea how and where they will fit the vision of the team and the leader.
But the club needs to think long term, realizing at least a year in advance where the team will need reinforcements and there are times when pushing the boat to do what is necessary to attract the talent of a generation is the way to go. side to the next level. Liverpool did it with Van Dijk and Alisson and a similar announcement with Bellingham would change expectations for next season.
After a year of working on a deal, it seems like a timid capitulation to step aside and let Manchester City and Real Madrid fight for it. There are times when a club like Liverpool have to flex their muscles and remind their rivals that they can and will compete off and on the field.
Leaving because there is now too much work needed for the whole team, it smells weakness, negligence and poor planning.
“No one could have foreseen that this season would start” is a constant excuse for a terrible season for Liverpool.
This is what many did last summer. If those in power at Anfield didn't, they didn't care about the ball.
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